Children's book recalls the wartime experiences of Ming the panda

A panda that journeyed from China to the UK during World War II became a beacon of hope – especially for children in war-torn London.

Now a new children's book is bringing her story back to life in China and is expected to be published in the UK in October.

CGTN sat down with award-winning children's book illustrator Yu Rong at her home in Cambridge, where she shared her inspiration for Ming.

The tale opens with a bedtime story told by a migrant Chinese mother to her daughter, who wonders if pandas once lived in her hometown.

Her journey began in 1938, as China was fighting Japanese aggression. Ming and five other pandas were captured by Floyd Tangier-Smith, a Japan-born American adventurer known for hunting rare animals.

Shipped to the UK by Christmas that year, only five of the pandas survived the voyage. Far from her homeland, Ming escaped one war zone only to find herself in another.

The story then turns to 1940, when Nazi air raids rattled London.

Despite the bombs, London Zoo was packed with visitors – all drawn to Ming the panda, who British newspapers at the time hailed as a "symbol of peace and life."

Yu Rong acknowledges the painful history of animals being taken from the wild. But she stresses a deeper message: teaching the next generation how to adapt, survive, and show resilience through Ming's story.

Reshaping policy

Ming's fate also reshaped policy back in China. Shortly after her capture, the Chinese government banned foreigners from hunting or exporting pandas.

With the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, systematic protection followed. Wildlife laws and the creation of the Giant Panda National Park helped wild panda numbers recover — from around 1,100 in the 1980s to nearly 1,900 today.

International research and breeding programs have since expanded conservation efforts worldwide. Fifty-two pandas now live in zoos around the globe, serving as ambassadors of cultural exchange and wildlife protection. 

Yu Rong hopes her book will play a similar role — building bridges of friendship among children across cultures, just as Ming once did.

Ming passed away in 1944 at London Zoo. But decades later, her story endures as a symbol of resilience – and a reminder of the bonds between China and the UK.

A reminder, too, that war must never return – so that those we love need never again endure such suffering.